My 2024-25 Back to School Speech

Posted by Dean Shareski on in Classrooms, joy, Leadership 0 Comment

I realize that depending on where you live, you’ve been back to school for a while. For my oldest granddaughter, this is her first day of 2nd grade in a brand new school. I’m thinking about her today. But I’m also thinking about her teachers. I want them to be ready, excited, and equipped to give Harriet a great start and a great year.

Several years ago, I wrote a Back to School Speech that was written in response to many of the bad speeches I had heard. It got quite a bit of response including a district that created a video from it. I wanted to rewrite it with a slightly different feel but a similar tone. I used ChatGPT to provide some of the reframing to include some of the new challenges of burnout and anxiety that many teachers and students face. This one, like my previous speech is written as a Superintendent or School leader:

Good morning, everyone,

I know the start of a school year can be overwhelming, with endless tasks ahead of you and so many responsibilities pulling you in different directions. But before you dive into your preparations, I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts with you.

First, I hope you truly had a chance to rest and recharge over the summer. In today’s world, our work has only become more complex and demanding. The pressures on you as educators are immense, from meeting curriculum standards to addressing the diverse needs of each student in your care. It’s no small task, and that’s why it’s so important to prioritize your well-being. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

As we begin this school year, I want to remind you that taking care of yourself is not only necessary but critical. Lean on us—your leadership team. We are here to support you, and we will hold you accountable for balancing your passion for your work with your health and happiness. You don’t have to do it all alone. Let us help you when things feel overwhelming. We also expect you to hold us accountable. When we are asking for unreasonable things, you need to let us know. While we have the greatest faith in your ability, we sometimes ask too much. As a system we’ve not done a great job at making your job better. While we know it’s always going to be hard, we want you to thrive and we will examine everything that’s not working towards that goal and together we want to improve it. We won’t tell you to “do yoga” as a solution. That’s a bandaid at best.

Yes, teaching is increasingly complex, and the world outside our classrooms is more chaotic than ever. But never forget: what you do here goes beyond any curriculum or academic standard. The role you play in shaping minds, hearts, and lives is perhaps one of the most significant ways we can all make the world a better place. Your influence extends far beyond the walls of your classroom. Remember that the little things you do every day—the kind word, the encouragement, the patience—those are the things that change lives. While we’re good at measuring achievement as described by test scores and grades, we want to continue to consider curiosity, well-being and belonging as even more important. I realize that can sound like a platitude but as leaders we need to work with you to make that a thing.

You’ve done this before. You’ve succeeded before. When the days feel long, remember that this school year is not a sprint, but a marathon. Pace yourself. Celebrate the small victories along the way and take time to reflect on the great work you’ve done in the past. My friend Joe Sanfelippo says “Start and end each day with joy.” Share your learning—both your successes and your challenges—with your colleagues. Cut yourself some slack when things don’t go as planned because none of us are perfect, but we are always growing. While we all are striving for the very best all the time, sometimes “good enough” is “good enough“.

So, as we embark on this new journey together, know that you have a community behind you, cheering you on. Go help your students to learn, smile, and belong. Ask hard questions, try new things, and share your experiences. And above all, find joy in the process. It’s not only okay to have fun, it’s essential.

This year is your year. We’ve got your back.

(Image by MidJourney)

Gondolas, Gratitude, and Generative AI: A Week to Remember in British Columbia

Posted by shareski on in ALP, gratitude, joy, Leadership, professional learning, professionallearning

I just wrapped up one of the best and most fulfilling weeks of work I’ve ever had, this time in British Columbia. My colleague Adam Garry and I went full throttle, spending full days in 10 different districts, helping them build their understanding of Generative AI. After an incredible start to the week—three days that I’ve already raved about—I capped it off with the West Vancouver School District. I’ve worked with this district for over a dozen years, building fantastic relationships along the way. The district’s culture speaks for itself, with its incredible stability and very little turnover. In a room of 60-70 school and district leaders, I knew so many by name and had the privilege of watching them evolve in their leadership roles over the years.

Chris Kennedy invited me to kick off their year by leading a day focused on the risks and possibilities of #genai. I’ll admit, I had my worries. This was their first day back—usually reserved for the lighter stuff—and here I was, rolling in with what could be considered some pretty heavy and heady content. I also wondered if these folks, who have seen me present more times than I can count, might be craving a fresh face. So yes, I had my concerns.

But I’ll tell you this: starting a PL session by taking a gondola ride up Grouse Mountain is not a bad way to ease into the day. For a prairie boy like me, the setting was nothing short of magical. We kicked off with some lighthearted fun, poking at my friend Chris Kennedy, who graciously let me use him to demo a deep fake. While no one fell for it (obviously), they appreciated the effort. And in true me-fashion, I spent far too long creating a 30-second video—but let’s be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing. One participant told me the day flew by, which is always a good sign.

To top it all off, they showered me with more swag than I deserved. (Side note: Chris Kennedy doesn’t like being outdone, and I’ve been known to boast about the awesome swag other districts give me, so I think this was his way of making sure West Van stays in the game.)

We ended the day with a fantastic dinner on a patio, and what truly took me by surprise was how many people took the time to come up to me, not just to say thank you, but to share specific moments and ideas from the day that resonated with them. They didn’t have to do that, but they did—and it overwhelmed me with gratitude. I’ve delivered thousands of presentations in my career, but this one stands out as one of the most satisfying. As I soaked in their kind words, it hit me that this wasn’t just a one-off expression of thanks. This district’s success comes from the way they live gratitude every day. Their students and staff experience it regularly—it’s part of what makes them want to come to work, and why they enjoy being in each other’s company.

I hesitate to use the word “family” because it gets thrown around too often, but this place really does feel special. From the Trustees to the Superintendent, from District Leadership to the School Leaders and Teachers—they care about each other and, more importantly, they care for each other.

A few themes have stayed with me throughout my career, with joy and community being right at the top. This day was a perfect example of both. I’d like to think I contributed to that, but I definitely know I received it.

Delight 34: The Standing Desk

Posted by Dean Shareski on in delight 0 Comment

It was during COVID-19 that my envy of standing desks began. As we all felt like we’d be prisoners in our home offices forever, being able to stretch and stand during endless Zoom calls seemed like a nice little treat to indulge in. I looked a few times but couldn’t quite pull the trigger. Probably because I’m cheap but also because I wasn’t sure what to get. So I let it go and instead tried to forge habits to give myself stretch breaks or walks during those long days at my desk. It sort of worked.

While I’m not in any way an influencer. I was approached recently to see if I would try one out and provide an honest review. Seemed like a good deal. So I ordered this beauty from Anthrodesks. I got the 60 x 30 model which is huge.

This thing is a combination of simple, sturdy and clean. I’m not great with written instructions but this video made setup easy.

In just a couple of days, it was kind of stunning to notice the change in energy and alertness. I’m not a morning person and it usually takes me 30 minutes or so to get going. So I start sitting and reading and having my coffee but once the caffeine kicks in, I’m up and working feeling really good. Now my breaks are to sit and have flipped the time I spend during the day on my feet and off my butt. We’ve all heard about the dangers of sitting so I looked up this research that focuses specifically on the value of standing desks. This research essentially finds that standing desks improve health, productivity and well-being. While it’s too early for me to speak about productivity and well-being, I can say I’ve had less back and neck pain.

So the delight here for me comes from many angles.

  • Free: That’s delightful. Also, I was under no obligation to say anything nice about the product but other than the fact it’s super heavy and awkward to move around, it’s pretty cool.
  • Funky tech: I like the cool factor. The controls are super easy to use and I like having different settings for different tasks. I’m still playing around with that.
  • Long-term benefits: who doesn’t like that? I’d love to know if others have experienced some of these benefits over time.

I can’t provide you any comparisons of other standing desks but this guy seems to agree that it’s a pretty good deal.

Delight 33: Invitations

Posted by Dean Shareski on in delight

I’m going to take a little time to brag. Contrary to popular belief, blogging is not dead. While for many in education, it’s not what it was 15 years ago, there are still a few of us who maintain a dedicated space to reflect and share. For me, this space is in its 18th year and after over 1200 posts, remains a place I can always go back to even if I don’t write as regularly as I used to. This series on delight, which I started 4 years ago is a great example of always being there. No pressure to write but is like a place always ready to welcome me whenever I return. Which kind of relates to the idea of an invitation.

It’s just nice to be asked. Whether it’s to go for dinner, coffee, a tee time, a work project or a speaking engagement, getting asked to do something or go somewhere brings me delight. I think particularly about invitations that are specific to me. They are an acknowledgement that someone needs me. Getting an email from someone asking me to speak reminds me I have something to offer and that my experience in education and ability to communicate has value. When a work colleague asks me to help them with a project, it reminds me I have specific skills that are valued. When my grandkids as if I can play with them reminds me that they enjoy spending time with me. When I get invited to play golf, it reminds me that I’m a good playing companion and someone enjoys my company. My first response to these requests is delight, a feeling of gratitude that someone is thinking of me and wants me to participate and engage with them. But beyond delight, I feel a sense of obligation to honour those invitations by being and bringing my best. I want the invitations to continue and repeat.

I think about teaching specifically and how much of teaching is about invitations. One of my favourite quotes is from Stephen Downes:

I think there is an important transfer of ownership in this quote that requires an invitation. Inviting kids to learn, to engage, is the art of teaching. Great teachers are continuously inviting students to learn. They don’t force them. Not all invitations are accepted, in fact in many cases the percentage might be quite low. Thinking about the delight I experience when I receive an invitation makes me wonder how we can create those kinds of invitations for students. How do we get kids to feel like they are important, and that we need them the participate? Maybe that’s impossible. But maybe we could be better at making kids feel like it matters to us.

Dan Meyer has been talking about inviting kids to learn his whole career. This video that Dan recently shared shows a teacher creating invitations for a less-than-engaged student to join. It’s hard to know if this student felt any delight with the invitation but it’s obvious while he’s not always accepted these invites, he does accept this one.

Invitations are wonderful to receive and probably more wonderful to hand out, especially when you didn’t expect the RSVP box to be checked “I accept”.

Are You Sacrificing Your Joy and Playfulness?

Posted by Dean Shareski on in joy

I’m at the age where I think a lot about retirement. I’m not that close but many of my friends are either already retired or close to retirement. The other day I was talking with a doctor friend and it was somewhat of a heart-wrenching conversation. He described how he has been so consumed with his job and how he regrets how that has gone and the struggle he’s facing about if and when he can retire. It was a combination of a flawed system as well as his failings. I didn’t know what to say.

I don’t know anything about the medical profession and can’t imagine the times when you’re literally dealing with life and death. While it’s hard to relate to the life of a doctor, I did think about those in education who may face some similar challenges. It’s not hard to see that many educators are not thriving. They aren’t experiencing the joy of the profession and the system at times makes it difficult.

While I’ve spent the last decade or so talking about joy, I’m always somewhat hesitant with that message. I don’t know how much of it is based on individual experiences and circumstances. and how much of it is based on personal dispositions and personalities. I’m always suspect of anyone who tells you to “get over it” or “be happy”. I’ve always prefaced my message but saying, I’ll share my experience and I trust you can determine what and if it applies to you.

What I can tell you is that when it comes to my relationship with my work, joy has always won. I’ve certainly been blessed to work with people and organizations that have supported me for the most part. But there have certainly been times when it’s been difficult, when people have been challenging when I’ve felt like quitting. Like everyone, it takes time to get over those moments but I think because I decided a long time ago that play and joy were not ideas that were only for the young they are the basis of who I am today. There’s no question that the amount of time I’m able to spend with my grandchildren makes this much easier but I know even before that, I knew these things mattered. When I wrote my book, it was before any grandchildren and it was my desire to help educators get back to their own childhood and keep it with them. I’m still committed to that work and am grateful for any opportunity I have to share that message. While I’ve been doing it for a while, I forget the message remains and in fact is likely more important to share as time goes on.

I used to think this was just about a lack of joy but it’s also about the need to justify our existence through our work. Many times those that either act like work is the most important thing or think that work is the most important thing sacrifice joy and play in pursuit of…I don’t know what. Unlike my doctor friend we rarely are dealing with life and death issues in education and while I know many things are serious, I’m not willing to take myself that serious.

I was prompted to write this after a friend shared this video with me. It is eerily similar to the doctor friend shared with me and it serves as a reminder to remain playful and joyful no matter what age we are or what we do. It’s not easy but it’s what I believe makes for a beautiful life.